With the Packers’ long, rich tradition of success, players often find themselves compared to greats from the past. Before the dynasty took off in the 1960s, Lombardi’s stars had to listen to how great the players of the 1930s were. What made that even worse was that they had to hear about heroes of one-platoon football, players who went both ways. Clarke Hinkle wasn’t just Jim Taylor, but Ray Nitschke as well. One-platoon football made for a less explosive game–players got tired going both ways–but the idea holds a romantic appeal. Hinkle said he played pro football for “20 years: 10 years on offense and 10 on defense.”
Born on April 10, 1909, in Toronto, Ohio, Hinkle was an All-American fullback and linebacker at Bucknell College in Pennsylvania and was recruited by the New York Giants who invited him to be their guest at a game against Green Bay in 1931. Hinkle was more impressed by the Packers, though, in particular by the size of Cal Hubbard whom he wanted on his side. After starring in the East West Shrine Game, Hinkle signed with the Packers and spent his entire career with them, missing only six games.
His numbers aren’t impressive in today’s context, but he was known as a triple threat star — he could run, pass, and kick with the best. He also was known as a punishing blocker. When he retired, Hinkle held the league record for most yards gained rushing (3,860) even though he had only finished among the top five twice in his career. The Packers passed a lot and spread the rushing carries around. Clarke threw an occasional pass, punted well, and placekicked effectively. He led the league in scoring once, field goals twice, and rushing touchdowns once.
It was his toughness that was celebrated above all. He was known as one of the most difficult men in the league to bring down, inflicting punishment on his tackler just as Jimmy Taylor would 30 years later. On defense, he was as hard a hitter as there was in the league indeed like Nitschke. His reputation was heightened through his respectful rivalry with legendary Bear fullback/linebacker Bronko Nagurski. Nagurski outweighed Hinkle by roughly 30 pounds, but they were often seen as equals in ferocity. Their battles are still remembered today for their competitiveness.
Their two most famous encounters are well-documented. On September 24, 1933, in a 14-7 Bear victory, Hinkle took off toward the sideline n the first quarter, and Nagurski lit out in pursuit. Seeing that Nagurski had the angle on him, Hinkle decided to go down swinging, literally. As Nagurski approached, Hinkle pivoted and threw his shoulder into Nagurski’s face. Both players went down, but only Hinkle got back up. Bronk had to be carried off the field with a broken nose and untold other injuries. He played the next week with a special device rigged to cover his nose.
The second collision happened on November 1, 1936 in a Packer 21-10 win. Hinkle took a handoff from Isbell for his favorite play, a weak side line plunge in the three hole, and was met thunderously by Nagurski. Hinkle was thrown back into the backfield but kept his balance and took off around the end for a 59-yard touchdown run. Bear tackle George Musso later remarked that this was the only time he had a back pass him three times on the same play. Strangely, when Hinkle would recall these two incidents a decade later for My Greatest Day in Football, he would remember them both coming in losses.
Hinkle was a player who Lambeau knew just how to motivate. Clarke would get so psyched up that he often played the game in a fury, flying around the field hitting people and making a lasting impact. His teammate Cecil Isbell would say of him years later, “He did not have the pure brute power of Nagurski because he did not have Bronk’s size. But he had the knack you see today in a runner like Jim Taylor of exploding at the point of impact. He was a compact runner, and he had the same kind of balance Taylor has — he could take the shock of a tackle, bounce sideways and keep going. And he never quit. He wanted to win more than anyone I ever saw.” Appropriately when he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964, he was presented by his long-time friend and rival Bronko Nagurski. Hinkle was inducted in the Packer Hall of Fame in 1972, and died in Steubenville, Ohio on November 9, 1988 at the age of 79. His memory was further honored by having one of the Packers’ practice fields named after him in 1997.
(Adapted from Packers by the Numbers.)
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